Theodore e



(No Model.) I T. B. FLOYD.

OFFICE INDICATOR.

Patented June '21 1898,

' I INVENTOR WITNESSES 2 lUNrr TATES ATENT rrrcE.

THEODORE BI FLOYD, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO STEWART S. BIBBENS, OF SAME PLACE.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,055, dated June 21, 1898.

Application filed March 1, 1897- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE B. FLOYD, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in OfficeReporters, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is afull,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of devices [0 employed chiefly in oliices for the purpose of announcing to customers or clients the time when the proprietor expects to be present.

The object of my present invention is to provide a neat, compact, simple, and convenient office-reporter for the aforesaid purpose, and which shall be provided with a receptacle for messages and with a convenient shelf upon which to write saidmessages and to that end the invention consists in the improved construction of the officereporter, as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figurel is afront view of an office-reporter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line X X in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the groove and spring for restoring the display-roller to its normal position, and Fig. 4 is a View of the pivotal support of the display-roller.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a represents the back plate of the officereporter, which. plate is preferably formed of wood.

1) denotes the front plate, which is preferably formed of glass, the main portion of which is macleppaque by either printing'a dark color on the back thereof or by pasting on said back a dark sheet of paper. This front plate is provided with a plurality of elongated transverse panels 0 c c c and c and small circular, or approximately circular, panels d d (Z, all of which panels are transparent. This front plate is fastened to the back plate, as shown ate e, with a space f between them, which space is closed with strips h h, attached to the edges of the plates.

A number of the panels, such as c c c 0, may be designed to display a permanent notice,

Sean to. 625,537. (No model.)

and inthat case said notice may be either painted on the back of the front plate or applied thereto by pasting thereon a strip of paper containing the notice.

The panel 0 isdesigned to expose inter- 5 5 changeable notices, and for this purpose I prefer to employa roller R of suitable polygonal shape in cross-section, having on its different faces the desired different notices. This roller is provided at its ends with trun- 6o nions t, which ride in grooves aformed in the vertical strips h and inclined toward the front plate, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. One of said grooves extends through the strip h, and the trunnion passes through said groove and is provided on its protruding end with a suitable handle or thumb-piece j, by which to turn the roller B, so as to cause it to present different notices through the panel 0, as may be desired. Said grooves serve to cause the roller to drop by gravity into its normal position contiguous to the front plate after said roller has been turned as aforesaid.

To further insure said action of the roller, I employ suitable springs Z, attached either to the vertical strips 7L or to the back plate and bearing on the tops of the trunnion t.

In proximity to each of the circular panels d I pivot to the front plate I) a disk (1 in such a position as to cause the marginal portion thereof to traverse the panel by turning the disk. One of said disks has marked on its face a plurality of different numbers representing minutes of an hour, another of said disks has marked on it figures representing different hours, and the other disk has marked on it A. M., M.,and P. M. Thepivotpin'of each disk has attached to its outer end a suitable handle or knob or thumb-piece,

or lid n to afford access to the interior of said 9 5 case. This lid I prefer to incline to the front to serve as a shelf upon which to write messages designed to be left in the office. A slot 0 is made in said lid to permit the messages to be deposited in the case O.

To the top of the shelf '22 is fastened a clasp '1" or other suitable holder for a pad of paper upon which to write the messages.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination of a back plate, an opaque front plate provided with a plurality of transparent panels and secured to said back plate with a space between them, strips attached to the edges of said plates and closing the aforesaid space, display devices in said space and disposed interchangeably opposite one of the transparent panels, and displaydisks pivoted to the front plate and arranged to traverse some of the aforesaid transparent panels, as set forth.

2. The combination of a back plate, an opaque front plate provided with a plurality of transparent elongated transverse panels and circular, or approximately circular panels, and secured to the back plate with a space between them, strips attached to the edges of said plates and closing said space and provided in the vertical strips with grooves inclincd toward the front plate, a display-roller polygonal-shaped in cross-section and provided on its ends with trunnions riding in the aforesaid grooves, a handle on the protruding end of one of said trunnions for turning said roller, a spring holding said trunnions normally in the lower ends of the grooves, display-disks pivoted to the front plate and traversing the circular panels, a case projecting from the front of the lower portion of the aforesaid back plate and provided with a slot in its top and with a door to afford access to the interior of the case, substantially as described and shown.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 20th day of February, 1897.

TIIEODURE l3. FLOYD. [3a. s."| Witnesses: w

J. J. LAASS, II. 1;. SMITH. 

